Jimmie Garopplo’s first throw in pads since he tore his ACL in Week 3 last season couldn’t have been much better. The quarterback opened team drills by unleashing a 55-yard strike to wide receiver Richie James. While the throw was an on-the-money deep ball, head coach Kyle Shanahan was more impressed with what happened before the play.
Shanahan told reporters after the team’s third practice that Garoppolo did everything he was supposed to do in finding that throw.
“Yeah, it’s getting it versus the right coverage and making the right read,” Shanahan said. “We run that play a lot, but he got it versus the right coverage today. He made the right read, which is where it starts. We had the right pocket, so he had time to see it and then you’ve got to throw it right. And he did throw it right. He’ll have more, I mean, he can throw it pretty well, and he’s always done that. The harder parts are seeing it, getting to it on time. He did, and it was a hell of a play.”
Making the right read and throw were two problems that plagued Garoppolo in his three starts last season. The hope was that his time off the field would allow him to soak up more of the offense going into his second offseason with the club.
One play on Day 3 of camp doesn’t mean Garoppolo can be penciled in for an MVP award, but it’s at least a sign of progress for the quarterback. It’s also a positive for James to snag a deep ball in 11-on-11 drills. He needs a big camp to carve out a roster spot.
There’s plenty of time until the regular season when Garoppolo’s growth in the offense will really matter, but strides in training camp are the type of positive sign San Francisco needed from their quarterback in his first time back in pads.
